Secrets, Secrets
by Astrid Goes For A Spin
Summary: Astrid's head is still spinning, and, as many females do in times of crisis, spills big secrets...the night before the final exam.
1. Chapter 1

Astrid looks like she's still queasy from all the anger she's pent up over these past two weeks. I mean, she nearly took off Hiccup's head earlier, but I assumed she was over it.

But she looks sick now. Happy, but sick.

"Astrid. Psssst. Astrid." I'm crouched on a little ledge under Tuffnut's window, waiting for the opportunity to sneak my hand inside and pull him out by his hair. Looks like that dream is gone, baby. Astrid's in big trouble, and needs me to sort it out for her.

I sigh. Girls.

"Ruffnut. Get down." She sounds almost dreamy, but airy, and scared, and unsure, nothing like her usual snappy, feministic self. I wonder what happened to her.

I jump down, and the two of us sit. I brace myself up against the wooden wall of the side of my house, and Astrid curls up, _resting her chin on her knees_, staring dolefully at me.

"I need to talk to you," she says softly, a faraway look in her eyes. Then her hardness comes back, just for a second. "But only if you swear on Tuffnut's life you'll never, ever tell anyone or do anything about what I'm about to say."

She's never asked me to swear on _Tuffnut's _life before. I guess this is really, really important, then. She's only ever asked me to swear on my life. To swear on my twin brother… I hope I don't have to tell this secret, because I know she'll kill him.

"Okay."

"Swear it." Astrid looks austerely, coldly at me, and I say, clearly, "I swear on Tuffnut's life I won't tell anyone whatever you're about to tell me. Satisfied?"

"Very." I raise my eyebrows. I'm waiting. "Well?"

Even though all of Berk is asleep, Astrid looks a little panicky at the thought of saying her secret out loud. Then she leans in real close to me. She smells different, strange, not cinnamon like her perfume. She smells like the wind. Where has she been? She whispers in my ear something very softly. I can't hear her. She leans back, then bursts out, "Hiccup has a dragon!"

"WHAT!"

I'm on my feet already, and Astrid jumps up, looking murderous. I don't know where her axe is, but she wants it desperately. "Ruffnut!"

"Oh. Sorry." I plop down on the ground, my limbs feeling like grass. Hiccup has a _dragon?_ "You're actually serious?" I prod, staring at her.

Then she starts to tell me a story that will be burned into my memory forevermore, and I know she could never think of something so complicated without it being true and being able to spout it out in a minute.

"This afternoon I cornered Hiccup before the Elder decided. I was threatening him because he was late for something he wouldn't say. There was nothing to be late for. Everyone was here. When I stomped off, I went to the woods. A few days ago I ran into Hiccup in there, he was wearing a harness and carrying something. But when I tried to follow him, he was gone.

"So I went back to that general area, and I found an entrance to a cove with a lake. It was beautiful, and I wondered if he was going there to get away from everyone because he's so popular now. But I had run, so I was waiting for him. I sat on a big rock and was sharpening my axe to scare him when he came blundering in, talking to someone about leaving forever, wearing the same harness and everything. He was just under my rock when he opened a basket, beginning to take things out, when I dropped the rock and jumped down, twirling my axe-"

I snort. I can't help it. I can't see Astrid _twirling_ an axe, but I stuff my fist in my mouth and gesture for her to go on.

"And he kept making up excuses, but I wanted so badly to know what was going on, because he was beating me. He even admitted that 'this' looks really bad, and tried to get me to drag him back to the village. I twisted his arm and threw him on the ground, and dropped my axe on him, saying that was for the lies, and that for everything else.

"Then we heard a noise on the far end of the cove, and suddenly Hiccup was standing beside me, and I screamed at him to get down, because a _Night Fury_ was jumping toward us, and I swung my axe but he leapt up and _tackled me, swung my axe away,_ and spread his arms between us, soothing it, and saying to me it was okay, I just scared him.

"I asked, 'Who is him?' and he introduced me to 'Toothless' who very clearly had many, many spear-sharp teeth. Then I shook my head and ran away.

"I was running back to the village without my axe, very vulnerable, and to tell Stoick, and just as I was looking behind me, I leapt over a log, but then I was soaring, screaming and holding onto the dragon's front leg that had grabbed me."

"They landed on the top of a pine tree and it bent in half. I was hanging by my hands, and we were arguing, and I was demanding for Hiccup to get me down, but the dragon didn't want to. Finally he wanted to show me and I had no choice, I climbed up behind him.

"This dragon was really nice to Hiccup, and they weren't fighting, but it hated me because I tried to kill it and, I guess, hurt Hiccup. He even made a saddle for it, and half of a tail. This Night Fury was the one that Hiccup shot down during the last raid. No one even believed him, but it was true! It was all true, it was on Raven Point, but it lost half its tail and it couldn't fly. And Hiccup has a steering thing for it…"

Astrid stopped a little, looking dreamy. By now, my mouth is _open_, gaping, completely astonished. Hiccup _built a tail for a dragon?_

"And he told the dragon, 'Toothless, down. _Gently_,' and he made a little noise, and the next thing I knew, I was falling off the back because he was directly vertical in the air, and the big black wings were pumping next to me, and I was sure I was going to die, yelling and screaming the whole time.

"Toothless-"

"_He NAMED the dragon?_" I can't help it anymore, I've never been able to be quiet. "And you call it by his name? Toothless, you said? A _dragon?_"

Astrid sniffs a little superiorly, then says, "Toothless' teeth retract."

"Oh, of course. That explains everything." Astrid's smiles are so rare, but she gives me one now, grinning. She must know how lost I am, she's new to this too…

"Well, as I was saying, Toothless stopped for a little bit, and I thought Hiccup got him under control, but I guess the turning was _not _working for Toothless, because he was doing whatever he wanted – then he folded his wings and fell, and we were plunging in and out of the water, I could hear Hiccup screaming at him, chastisements, like a friend, almost. Then Toothless was spinning completely out of control, and the only thing to do was to stay on was to hold on to Hiccup, and he was holding on to the saddle.

"He was so _warm,_ Ruffnut," Astrid sighs, and I know she's on Toothless again. "He was so strong and sure in the way he was telling the dragon what to do, and even though he wasn't steering he was still helping.

"I was screaming, and almost crying, and I yelled that I was sorry because all I wanted was for this torture to end. And the dragon _heard _me, Ruffnut! He stopped spinning and evened out and it was amazing…"

She sighs. "I wish you could have seen something like it. We were up in the clouds, and there wasn't a sound – all of them were pink and fluffy from the sunset, they were huge up close. It was so…_magical_, to be there, with Hiccup in the clouds. I even touched one."

"And I realized that I liked him. He had shown me so much. We _don't _have to kill them, they don't do anything wrong…"

"What do you mean, we don't have to kill them?" I'm incredulous. This is Astrid, the girl who placed top in Dragon Training only after a misfit, who, it turns out, was hiding his pet dragon in the woods for weeks now. Training to kill dragons. Gladly.

"I'm getting to that," she says quickly. "I brought up the final exam, and how Hiccup would have to kill a dragon. I tried to say it quietly because I didn't want Toothless to start flying like that again – he was flying over Berk, it's so beautiful at night, with all the lights and the mountain – I want to do it again so badly – but Toothless did anyway, he flipped over, and suddenly there were dragons all around us."

This is the part of her story I find least likely. First the romance and adventure – standard, unexpected in form, but usual enough. The peril part is the unusual part, if there's anything dangerous other than the dragon raids on Berk and frostbite, I won't live to see it.

"And we were away from Berk, going through rocks, and then there was a volcano. Helheim's gate."

"We flew inside, it was a pit, and the dragons were throwing all the food inside. They weren't eating any of it! But we found out what it was, because there was a Gronkle that only gave one little fish, and this…"

Astrid breaks off to shudder, and I have fear for the first time. Whatever can make _Astrid Hofferson _shake like this is something seriously dangerous. She isn't kidding. This is real.

"This… _**thing**_ comes out of the hole. It was a dragon, Ruffnut, but it was so _big_, it swallowed the Gronkle whole, easily, and Hiccup had Toothless fly us out, it was like a whirlpool of dragons, there were so many, screaming and shooting up the top of the volcano to escape, but it got a Zippleback, and it swallowed that one, too. It's like Toothless knew if Hiccup had to kill a dragon he should kill _that _dragon."

"We don't have to kill them, it _controls_ them, if they don't get enough food to it, then they'll be eaten themselves… We need to go there and help them. But after the exam. Anything now will put Hiccup in danger. Because when Stoick and Toothless meet each other, things won't go well."

She seems herself again, planning, sure of herself, a steely look in her eye. I want one more proof, so I ask shrewdly, "How do I know you're not lying? How do I know that this isn't just a joke? Did you get a scar? A burn? Anything?"

She scowls at me, thinking. She looks over her arms, then tightens her fist. "You want me to give you one?"

"Oh, no," I say dramatically, getting up, ready to run off. "I just wanted to be sure I wasn't being played with. So. No proof, huh?"

Her mind is working fervently, the gears are turning, and suddenly, they all click into position as she jumps up, too.

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll prove to you that all of this happened." She gestures to the sky. "I swear on your life."

Then she turns tail and runs away.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm very excited for the final exam, not only to see how Hiccup, soft, non-combative Hiccup will handle the Nightmare, but also to see how Astrid will prove to me that Hiccup owns a Night Fury.

All last night I dreamed of floating through the stars on the back of a dragon, but since no one's ever seen a Night Fury my imaginary black dragon transformed somewhere along the way into a Zippleback.

Still, my excitement is running high in the way of energy – I've already knocked down Tuffnut twice before we get there. By the time we arrive, the area surrounding the ring is crowded with Vikings: not much of a problem, I elbow my way through, Tuffnut in my wake, and meet up with Fishlegs and Snotlout on the edge.

"Where's Astrid?"

"She's down there." Snotlout points almost directly below us, and I try to see. I can't see them, specifically, but there are little glints of light on the stone that tell me they're there. They're talking quietly, I can distinguish Hiccup's low, distressed voice and Astrid's higher, worried one. Why are they both upset?

I'm a little puzzled. Is it because he's scared to kill the dragon? Or is it because he _doesn't _want to? Something more?

I lean forward in anxiety for the fight to start – I don't want to miss a single second. So I'm shocked out of my boots when Hiccup walks forward from underneath us, helmet on, picks up a standard shield, and a dagger.

"A dagger!" I gasp, shoving my hand through the bars as if I can snatch it away and give him a spear, something – a fighting chance.

"Why would he take the dagger?" for once in his life, Snotlout Jorgensen seems truly worried, fearful for his cousin's life. I can't blame him.

Fishlegs is spouting some sort of mantra, and I block it from my ears, instead relieving my fear for our classmate by grabbing Tuffnut's hand and squeezing my jitters into it.

"He's just going to have to make it," he says, and I nod, my mouth gaping open as I flick my eyes between the small stature of Hiccup, who _does _look miserable, I decide, and the enclosure bursting open to reveal a flaming Monstrous Nightmare.

Hiccup stands rock still, and I watch him the whole time for signs that Astrid's story was true. I can't say anything about having a pet dragon, but he doesn't seem as scared as I would be in there. The Nightmare scuttles to the top of the enclosure, screaming for release, but nothing happens.

It runs past us, and I jerk my fingers back from the ring, careful not to get singed. The dragon yells, spitting fire past Vikings and off the cliff.

Then, it drops directly in front of Hiccup.

He's crazy, dropping his shield, his tiny sword, soothing the beast. It snorts as he extends gentle hands, and jerks its head a little toward us. Hiccup's eyes follow the movement, and then his hands are on his helmet, he's grabbing it, holding it in his hands, and flinging it against the stone.

"I'm not one of them."

Astrid must have been right about something, Hiccup is insane, he's just completely disarmed himself in front of the most fearsome dragon ever known to Vikings.

"Stop the fight." Murmurs race through the crowds. Stoick's voice is unheeded, and Hiccup contradicts, "No! They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them."

"I _said, _**STOP THE FIGHT!**" The chief's shout is so loud I cringe a little as his mighty hammer swings down out of nowhere, denting the metal bars, then cringe even more as the Nightmare lunges to take off Hiccup's hand.

He snatches it back at the last second, preventing the loss of his whole arm, probably, maybe even his head. Then it's another game in training, of cat and mouse, running and retreating, and never, ever being allowed to win.

And Hiccup's losing badly. He's dodging quickly, running for his life, just trying to preserve himself, and he's not going to make it.

"HIC-CUP!" Screeches Astrid, one second she's on the sidelines, the next she's wormed her way into the ring.

Astrid cries again, "Hiccup!" and kicks expertly at the handle to a hammer, and flings it at the Nightmare, hitting its head, knocking it down.

Then, snapping its jaws, it races after her instead.

By now, I'm crossing my fingers and praying to the gods they'll be spared. _Please. Please. Not Astrid._ On second thought, _Please, Please, spare Hiccup, too._

Stoick is underneath us, I can hear the the gate being thrown up. He yells to them, beckoning, I suppose.

Astrid races for safety, and she disappears into the tunnel. Safe. Hiccup tries to follow, but the Nightmare's on his tail and it sets fire to the wall in front of him, forcing him to turn around.

He stumbles, and I catch my breath, this is it, he'll be dead in seconds. He's pinned underneath a huge, clawed paw three times the size he is, looking away slightly, in panic, as it gets closer….

Suddenly my heart stops.

A sound pierces through the air, a familiar subsonic whine that proceeds a dragon raid. It was true!

Another scream follows as a huge, angry black dragon leaps past the audience of Vikings, destroys the metal bars around the ring, and dives inside.

I know it's rescuing Hiccup, but no one else does. The ring is filled with dust and flames and ash, rendering everything hidden. "Somebody get in there and help him!"

"Night Fury!" Gobber's diagnosis confirms it, Hiccup won't be hurt today. I think.

What I can see through the filtering smoke from the explosion is this: the outlines of claws coming off of Hiccup, screams of dragons and frantic beating of wings as he rolls away. He shields his head, but everyone else is watching as the fight moves out of the clearing smoke.

The dragon no one's ever seen has a saddle and a leather tailfin! It's rigged, all right. It's being attacked by the Nightmare, flung to the ground, but the next second it's back up again, throwing the Nightmare across the enclosure. It's yelling defiance, backing protectively toward a wretched Hiccup, sitting on the floor.

"What is _that?_" Snotlout is too surprised to sound arrogant.

"His pet Night Fury," I say, still stunned that Astrid's story's true. She didn't lie, Hiccup _adopted a dragon! _It has to be the most awesome thing I've ever seen. Especially the fight over Hiccup! The two most feared dragons ever mentioned in history, and they get to fight over the scrawniest Viking that ever lived! Today I'll never forget.

"That thing has +20 speed, 18 firepower, I can't even count stealth or aggression- it's never been seen before! It's not counted!" No one has enough focus to shut Fishlegs up.

Tuffnut can't even say anything, instead, he just makes little periodic noises of surprise and awe. Oh, the day Tuffnut doesn't speak… I bend down a little to see better, gaping through the bars.

The Nightmare tries to get around the Night Fury, but it blocks him again and again, until it backs off and Hiccup jumps up, pushing at its head, urging it to go away. I can't hear, but he can only be telling it to save itself and

No such luck, instead, Vikings are pouring into the ring with axes and swords and shields, intent on killing the one dragon that _might not be so bad…_

Hiccup's voice rises to a shout, "No! No dad! No, Dad, he won't hurt you!" Stoick storms into the ring, armed with the first axe, I guess, that he could grab. The Night Fury catches sight of the assailant and leaps toward him, throwing Vikings down with his wings, simultaneously disarming others with his unmatched tail, making his way toward the Viking's Chief…

Hiccup's shouting no's, "Don't make it worse!" and then the two are rolling together, grappling, with Stoick on the ground and the dragon over him, the flammable gasses swirling in the back of his throat.

Hiccup screams, "TOOTHLESS, stop!" his arm raised to ward off the dragon. "No- NO!"

The most amazing moment of my life: the dragon listens. It drops down, mouth closed, docile, whining mournfully, puzzled at Hiccup, asking him with his eyes why not?

Then the moment vanishes up in smoke as it's beaten, thrown to the ground, and Hiccup's yelling again, "Please, no, no, just don't – hurt him-" Astrid's there, suddenly, holding him back from his beloved dragon that she knew about. "Please don't hurt him." It's a desperate, despairing sentence.

Hiccup strains against Astrid, one foot behind them, the other pulling ahead, making them sway. She's got her arms around the boy, pulling his arm down and making sure he doesn't make it worse by trying to free his pet.

"Put it with the others." The sentence is so menacing, spiteful and mean, that this extraordinary dragon should be holed up with the training captives.

But who says they aren't extraordinary? In Hiccup's hands they might just be.

I'm still holding Tuffnut's hand when the first wave of tears for him come.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hiccup – um, hi." Astrid's never stuttered before, but she does now. I know why, too. It's unusually perceptive of me, but I know she realizes she's the outsider here, because she knew his secret.

"Hi, Astrid!" Snotlout jumps up, offering her his seat on the edge of the bridge. She shakes her head.

"Hiccup needs us." The sentence is so clear, despite everything that's raging on her face – pain, hurt, and something less identifiable because she's biting her lip and trying to hide it from us.

"He's over there." She points, and they get up wearily, and I get up, catching Astrid by the arm.

"You didn't lie to me." She shakes her head, and suddenly tears are falling down her face.

"Don't tell Hiccup. Toothless means the world to him. He'd never forgive me if he knew I told you…you can't tell him. It would hurt him so badly…"

I accept this stoically, and nod at Astrid while she swipes carelessly at her tears. "I had to tell, though. It was so big and important. I don't know how he's lived for all these years, even these two weeks, hiding Toothless while everyone is so horrible to him…"

"Astrid, where are we going?" I should have asked this question earlier, but she knows I'll follow her into battle with her arms tied down.

"We're going to the Dragon's Nest. We're going to kill it, and we're going to go save Toothless."


End file.
